<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=32taDU_1GqThuho00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=32taDU_1GqThuho00" width="1174" height="660" >What adaptive facilities are being added at Spring Meadow Lake?Why was natural surface prioritized over concrete for accessibility?BIGFORK, Mont. — The Montana State Parks Foundation is working to make Montana's outdoors more accessible, starting with improvements to the Harry Horn Trail at Wayfarers State Park on Flathead Lake.Crews recently cleared brush, widened and leveled sections of the trail and removed obstacles such as rocks and roots to make the path easier to navigate.The work is part of a statewide initiative involving Montana State Parks, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the University of Montana and accessibility advocates.“There’s a huge group of people that were always missing, and you don’t know what you don’t know, and it's just great to see that this is now getting pushed out because we are starting to see a different user group and more people come in and feel welcomed at the park," said Derrick Rathe, recreation manager at Montana FWP.The project is shaped by people with firsthand experience navigating those challenges.Last year, people with disabilities, parents or aids to people with disabilities, and professionals of outdoor adaptive recreation participated in a Walk Move Audit at Wayfarers to help identify barriers that might otherwise go unnoticed.“The concept of nothing about us without us is our guiding principle. It makes a world of sense. Like Derrick was saying, you just don’t realize what barriers might be there because you’re not experiencing them," said Megan Buecking, executive director at Montana State Parks Foundation.“I think I always thought that we needed sidewalks, concrete to make it accessible. That’s not always the case. They still want that experience of being on a trail and on a natural surface," said Rathe.Instead of paving the trail, crews focused on creating a more navigable natural surface.That means packing down soil, adding crushed gravel where water collects, and making sure all visitors have enough space to safely navigate the pathway.“We have a daily hiker that I’ve known at Wayfarers and you would've never known that she has a vision impairment. And when we started working on this, the excitement that that visitor expressed to me that she is able to see better on the trails really was the first a-ha moment I got of like, oh, there’s a wide scope here," said Rathe.Organizers say the improvements intend to benefit more than just people who use wheelchairs.The project considers a range of accessibility needs, including those of people with vision and hearing impairments.While the work at Wayfarers is completed, the foundation said they’re not really done yet.“We really would love to turn that trail into an accessible trail so that people in wheelchairs can get to the top of a mountain basically and see a view of Flathead Lake, that’s a big goal for us in the future at Wayfarers," said Buecking.The foundation’s goal is to make all 56 state parks accessible.Right now, they’re also working on improvements at Spring Meadow Lake, where plans include an adaptive kayak dock, accessible pathway, and specialized wheelchairs.Organizers hope the work at Wayfarers will serve as a model for making more of Montana’s state parks welcoming to everyone.</div></body>

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BIGFORK, Mont. — The Montana State Parks Foundation is working to make Montana's outdoors more accessible, starting with improvements to the Harry Horn Trail at Wayfarers State Park on Flathead Lake. Crews recently cleared brush, widened and leveled sections of the trail and removed obstacles such as rocks and...

Montana State Parks Foundation works to improve accessibility

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BIGFORK, Mont. — The Montana State Parks Foundation is working to make Montana's outdoors more accessible, starting with improvements to the Harry Horn Tra

Montana State Parks Foundation works to improve accessibility

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